Atherosclerosis is an arterial disease characterized by the presence of plaque formed from the accumulation of fatty substances, cholesterol, calcium, fibrin and other cellular materials along the inner wall of the aorta and large and mediun-sized arteries. Plaque may totally or partially block blood flow through a blood vessel leading to a heart attack or stroke. Plaque can also weaken the arterial wall, resulting in an aneurysm. Coronary artery disease, which is usually due to atherosclerosis, is the leading cause of death in the world. Atherosclerosis is also a primary cause of stroke, another leading killer, and of peripheral vascular disease resulting in significant disability and limb loss.
Conventional therapies for treating the complications of atherosclerosis include providing an open bypass graft to other arteries by coronary or peripheral arterial bypass surgery, and dilating narrowed arteries by techniques such as balloon angioplasty, stent implantation, coronary atherectomy, and carotid endarterectomy. However, patients with severe diffuise disease in multiple vessels are not good candidates for surgery or dilating procedures. In addition, intracoronary procedures can stimulate a proliferation of endothelial cells at the treatment site, which leads to a reblockage of the artery. With laser techniques, intramyocardial channels can be created that will supply blood to the ischemic muscle and stimulate capillary in-growth and angiogenesis in the myocardium, however, there are accompanying risks of damage to the surrounding tissue. The long-term results of this procedure have been controversial. Furthermore, conventional therapies do not treat atherosclerosis directly to avoid its fatal complications.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an alternative method of preventing and treating atherosclerosis in a human patient.